Africa

• Middle East and North Africa Region Assessment of the Local Manufacturing Potential for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Projects -

  Commissioned by the World Bank and carried out by Ernst and Young and the Fraunhofer Institute, this report assesses the local manufacturing potential for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) components in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

• Current Status of Renewable Energies in the Middle East North African Region (2007)-

• Debating the Way to a Mediterranean Solar Plan (2009)-

  This is a presentation from Dr. Albrecht Kaupp (MED-EMIP Team Leader) during the “MENA Energized: Regional Challenges to "Green the Power" Sector” event held in June in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. It was jointly organized by the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) and the Euro Mediterranean Energy Market Integration Project (MED-EMIP).

• Solar Water Heaters save Electricity in South Africa-

  As of 12 July 2011, the South African utility Eskom counted a total number of 84,214 approved applications since the beginning of the programme in 2007. Since the beginning of the programme the level of subsidies changed regularly. The latest table with the maximum rebate level was published on 12 April, 2011 and will be implemented most probably at the 1st of October. 

• Future Giant Solar Park in the Sahara (2009)-

  A giant solar park is to be developed in the Sahara.

   

• Clean Power from Deserts- A document produced by the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), in 2007, discusses the policy options and market situation of increasing the use of renewable energy in the so-called MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). According to scientists, this region will be severely threatened by water scarcity problems in the coming years. Taking that into account, this document tries to show how renewable energies could be the solution to the imminent water crisis situation, notably the use of sea water desalination, combined with solar thermal power from deserts.
• Global Potential of Concentrating Solar Power (2009)-

  This paper presented at the 2009 SolarPaces Conference in Berlin sets out an analysis of the potential of concentrating solar power (CSP) on a global scale. The paper starts with assessing the level of direct normal solar irradiation needed for CSP plants which is combined with an analysis of the suitable land resources based on various site criteria.

• Study on Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project Identification in FEMIP Countries- The Study of CDM Project Identification in FEMIP countries (Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership)aimed to: • investigate the possibilities for carbon finance and crediting activities in the Mediterranean region, identify priority sectors and make relevant recommendations; • build a pipeline of concrete CDM projects or project concepts that the European Investment Bank (EIB) could help finance in the years to come; • promote closer communication between the EIB and local CDM actors.
• Solar Thermal Desalination Technologies (2008)-

  The use of solar energy in thermal desalination processes is one of the most promising applications of the renewable energies.

  Solar desalination can either be direct; use solar energy to produce distillate directly in the solar collector, or indirect; combining conventional desalination techniques, such as multistage flash desalination (MSF), vapour compression (VC), reverse osmosis (RO), membrane distillation (MD) and electrodialysis, with solar collectors for heat generation.

• SWERA Programme- GEF (Global Environmental Facility) funded UNEP project: The SWERA Programme’s mission is to provide easy access to high quality renewable energy resource data and other products to users all around the world (Bangladesh - Brazil - China - Cuba - El Salvador - Ethiopia - Ghana - Guatemala - Honduras - Kenya - Nepal - Nicaragua - Sri Lanka). These products are available through the SWERA web site and include Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and time series data, along with energy optimization tools needed to apply these data and facilitate renewable energy policy and investment.
• What are the advantages of solar thermal water heating systems at a personal level?- Most importantly: The energy of the sun is endless, sufficient and free of charge. Using solar water heating technology makes you independent of the rapidly increasing fossil fuel prices. It saves customers energy, money, is clean and safe and it is a long-living technology with life cycles of 25 years and more.